64 Technical Difficulties
by Tofyuu
Summary: 64 one shots and drabbles centered around our very lovely technician/researcher Irie Shoichi! Multiple pairings, possibly Multi-AU
1. 2 am

_**2 a.m.**_

_Time: Future Arc, Before the invasion of Melone Base_

* * *

The clock ticks and tocks, each repeating two note melody reminding Shoichi how late it is and how he should be fast asleep snuggled under his thick duvet and cold cushy pillow underneath his head. But instead he tosses and turns in his bed, mind too preoccupied with mindless thoughts to fall into the sweet bliss of dreamland.

During the day, Shoichi is able to push aside all these useless thoughts and focus on his tasks, focus on being a Captain, focus on fooling Byakuran and bury himself so deep into his research until thinking about anything else other than his current papers would lead to catastrophic accidents of forgetting strategic plans and battle formulas.

But during the times when he overworks himself to the point of near collapse, when his mind is too weary to work on, his thoughts take the chance to prey on his weak mind and drag the bothersome thoughts out from the darkest corners of his mind to torture and torment the redhead. They tease and taunt him with ideas of failure and spin detailed tales of his death, Tsunayoushi's death and humanity's end until he ends up curled in a pitiful ball on his mattress with arms clutched around his aching stomach, eyes screwed shut with loud music blaring through his headphones fitted snugly on his ears, which act more as comfort than distraction from his unavoidable thoughts. His breathing quickly gets ragged with fear and worry and sometimes he forgets how and why he's breathing before breaking out in cold sweat as his thoughts run wild. At times when the pressure and pain gets too much to handle, tears can be found trickling down his face as he bites on his bottom lip to stop the hiccups and loud sobs that threaten to pour out the moment he opens his mouth.

It is times like this when Shoichi begins to questions the higher beings why they chose him, why was he the one to have caused Byakuran to be like this, why is he entrusted the fate of the world, and begins to resent and regret being alive and staying alive for so long. It was hard, so very hard holding everything in all the time and struggle to put up a brave front and risk his life every day, every second he stayed in this wretched base. The worst part is Shoichi is forced to stay silent and keep his ever growing fear to himself, that he feels all alone in this operation and no matter how much he feels like screaming at the top of his lungs and high tailing out of the base at the first opportunity presented in front of him, he knows he has to stay and face another day with the white haired commander.

But he will not be alone for long. Tsunayoushi and his guardians are coming; friends and comrades are waiting for him, relying, depending on him and his resilience in order for their plans to succeed and for them to be able to meet again. These warm thoughts sooths and comforts the agitated man and brings a smile to his face, stops the tears from dropping. He remembers how to breathe again, his shaking form relaxes and his stomach doesn't hurt as much anymore. For tonight, his worries and anxieties are put to rest and he is able to drift off in light sleep, his beliefs and trust in his comrades the only things holding his tattered mind together.

He will be fine, at least for tonight.

* * *

A/N: I've been wanting to do the 64 prompts for a while now, and the current character im obsessed over is dear sweet Shoichi so i'll be doing all 64 prompts based on him, with cameos from other characters! I will try to do one per day and I hope you enjoy all of them uvu

**Also none of the characters from Katekyo Hitman Reborn belong to me!**


	2. Metaphor

_**Metaphor**_

_Time: Future Arc, Before Choice_

* * *

Byakuran's pure existence reminds you horrifyingly of a overwhelming sea of fear and despair, that even the most seasoned sailors quake at and dare not sail in. He's like a legend told in hushed voices and whispers at the darkest corners of inns or around a campfire, when the moon is full and it is midnight and everything scary comes alive. He's a lullaby, singing softly to distract you from your fear(not comfort, never comfort) with lyrics too grim and dark to sooth your frightened soul and they sound as if they are part of a chant to awaken the demons and ghosts that lie waiting under your bed, in your closet or in the deepest, darkest crevice of your soul.

Yet at the same time he oozes charisma and charm and is able to coax and calm your rattled nerves with his smooth loving words that you know he means(_or does he really?_). His smile is blindingly bright and bursting with expectation and joy but you can feel the hollowness behind the Cheshire-like grin and like makes you shiver. He's like the moon, always shining you a path when it gets dark, but always is the path shown one he wants you to take, expects you to take. He's a puppeteer, skilfully manoeuvring and manipulating you in the palm of his hand, with strings long enough to allow you to run around with false beliefs that you were free, when in actuality he's able to tug you back whenever he wants.

That's why even when you're safe and surrounded by the Vongola in their base, the phantom strings you feel jerking your arms and legs at times never fail to remind you that no one can ever run from Byakuran.

* * *

A/N: Whelp, a little 10051 in there! I tried describing Byakuran through Shoichi's eyes using only metaphors but failed rather terribly ahah;;;


	3. Sky

**_Sky_**

_Time: Future Arc after Byakuran's death, then Present with memories of the past and meeting Byakuran for the first time in the Present(I didn't really have a set time in mind when i wrote this. I simply pictured the first few parts are his Future Arc self speaking, then the last sentence being him in the Present after meeting Byakuran. I hope the time makes sense?)_

* * *

Shoichi always finds himself amazed at how extreme the two most important Sky attribute holders in his life are.

Tsunayoshi envelops and protects all other elements, while still allowing them the space and freedom to roam free. His compassion and ability to empathise has earned him his guardians and their undying loyalty, given them strength and resolve to fight even when their bodies are battered and limbs too exhausted to move time after time. His warm smile and kindly nature has won over even the hearts of his enemies, along with his great generosity that reaches out to even them. Never once will he leave behind a comrade in need even if it meant risking his chances of victory, nor will he stand by and watch his enemy die. He loves and protects his friends and comrades with his dying will, and in return they are the ones who power his resolve. Shy, unobtrusive and kind hearted, Sawada Tsunayoshi is truly unsuited for a mafia life full of battles and bloodshed, yet he still stays and continues the Vongola legacy, if only to change it back to the vigilante group it once was and to protect his friends.

Byakuran is ever changing, unpredictable and his words and actions often carry hidden double meanings or are laced with sharp edges and traps that can trigger your instantaneous death you if you don't tread carefully. His sharp mind and ability to read people have earned him much fear and respect from his subordinates. He saves and rescues his comrades only when necessary, but will not hesitate to throw them aside once their objective has been met, or worse yet, when he gets bored of them. His guardians have gathered under him in awe of his power, filled with hope and desire to rule the world next to him, as they have in countless other parallel worlds. Their loyalty and resolve is born from how Byakuran was the one who freed them from all the misfortunes in this one unfortunate world, how he was the first to have seen their potential and coaxed it out of them. He sees people as toys, objects, landmarks and chess pieces that will boost him towards his eventual checkmate and never once has he ever shown a shred of sympathy to both comrade and enemy alike. Manipulative, insincere and vicious, Byakuran is a beautifully complicated and flexible man whom no one, not even Shoichi himself was able to understand, not even up till the very end.

And yet even with such vast differences and obvious choices who is a better man, Shoichi finds himself falling for Byakuran all over again in the present, and continues to do so for the rest of his life.

* * *

A/N: I had a lot of ideas for Sky but went with this one! I like the thought of how Shoichi will constantly compare Tsuna and Byakuran and wonder how two people can be so similiar yet so different and just shake his head and leave it as one of the things science can't explain. also 10051 managed to slip itself in there.


	4. Lost Scene

_**Lost Scene**_

_Time: Some time after Shoichi got promoted and before the Future Arc begins_

* * *

Shoichi sighs as he runs his hands over the familiar gadgets and tools, metal parts, wiring, tiny nuts and bolts. Even after years of not having touched or tinkered with mechanics, he can recite each function of the tools in a heartbeat and where each nut and bolt fits perfectly. He feels the warm stirring feeling of excitement and his heart thump faster as his sharp mind quickly churns out ideas and inventions and pieces together the pieces of scrap metal and bolts, a robot already formed in his mind's eye. He has not stepped into a workshop since Byakuran appointed him as Captain and took him under his wing, and left his technical position reluctantly and swiftly. The hard work and dedication and passion he's poured into engineering comes flooding back as he explores Spanner's familiar workshop and looks in awe at Spanner's latest models of the Gola Mosca, hands roaming all over the metallic body, murmuring notes in a wonder filled voice and little noises of delight escaping his gaping mouth the whole time.

Spanner watches Shoichi's dazzled gaze amusedly, chuckling softly. It'd been a long time since he'd been able to meet his best friend and fellow technician as simply that. Shoichi never had the time or permission to come visit as a friend ever since he'd been promoted. So when he had received the news that Shoichi was allowed to come over to his department and view the newest Moscas on his day off yesterday, Spanner had been elated. It was thrilling and nostalgic to have his anxious genius of a friend next to him again, with no stuffy formalities to bind them down. They were free to chat and swoon over the newest technology together for today, and be the stumbling geeky best friends they were back in high school and throughout college.

_Really, it's been too long_, Spanner thinks, pulling out the lollipop in his mouth and walking over to Shoichi, a big grin on his face.

* * *

A/N: Ahh im sorry for the late chapter! I'm having extensive ice skating lessons this week and it's left me sore and tired everyday so i couldn't muster the energy to write yesterday, much apologies! I originally intended to write another angsty 10051 fic for this prompt but I thought it wouldn't be very Shoichi-centric if i wrote about 10051 all the time without exploring into his other relationships, so I decided to make it a 4851 friendship fic instead! Im a little sad because i haven't gotten any reviews yet, but i hope you all enjoyed it!


	5. Degrees

_**Degrees**_

_Time: TYL after present time_

* * *

Shoichi never was a fan of hot weather. Blowing a puff of hot air out, he rests his head over the top of his chair, moaning softly. His normally messy red locks are drenched with sweat and sticks to his forehead irritatingly, mirroring his shirt's current relationship with his sticky skin. Half lidded eyes stare at the blurry ceiling, his spectacles having slid down the bridge of his nose. His beloved headphones that usually rest comfortably around his neck has been discarded long ago and lies alone next to the computer, the ear pac still wet with sweat.

It's currently summer, Shoichi's most hated season of the year. The air is always stifling and still then, breezes a rarity and blessing as the sun mercilessly beats down on the poor civilians. Even in his apartment, Shoichi can feel the trapped heat slowly suffocating him and draining his body of energy and water. The measly wind from his small electric fan offers little to no comfort and he's too lazy and drained to reach for a fan to fan himself with. Whining, he reluctantly lifts up one of his heavy arms and blindly gropes the table while still staring at the ceiling to try and find something to tie his hair up.

After about five minutes of dragging his hand across the desk, the only thing he's accomplished is a toppled over stand of stationery and messing up the once neat stacks of research papers lying all over his table. Groaning, Shoichi lets his arm fall back to his side, too tired to try anymore. Just when he's saying his last goodbyes to everyone he loves and is ready to succumb to the sweet death this heat brings every year, he hears someone barging into his apartment and shouting his name out in a sing song voice, followed by another lower and more monotone voice asking if he's home. Shoichi's too hot to care who it is at this point of time, simply letting out a low moan to let them know he was still alive and his current whereabouts.

Tilting his head in the direction of the room's door, he spots a tall lanky man with a mop of messy white hair enter first, cheerily waving hello and loudly voicing out Shoichi's current looks. Next comes his best friend, mouth full of candy and hands full of snacks and cold drinks. Shoichi's eyes light up at the sight of the water droplets hanging off the plastic bag, making eager grabs at the air with one hand for the drinks. As Spanner hands him a bottle of chilled water, Shoichi feels a pair of hands running through his hair and combing them into a messy bunch before tying them back painfully. Shoichi doesn't mind; the action brings his hair away from the back of his neck after all. Then, when he's gulping down the water greedily, he feels his best friend join in the fun by pinning his fringe up with multi-coloured pins with little charms on them.

Dully questioning what the absolute heck they are doing, Shoichi only receives mischievous grins in response. He can't be bothered to stop them, so he lets them go wild and style his hair however they like. After a while, they step back and admire their work. Byakuran pulls out his phone and enthusiastically suggests taking a photo together to commemorate this wonderful event and Spanner agrees heartily. Shoichi doesn't even know what's going on but next thing he knows, he's getting his picture taken with his two idiotic best friends posing beside him.

* * *

Later that day, Shoichi finds out that a photo of him in twin tails tied with hair bobbles that have rainbow candy charms dangling off them and matching pins pushing his fringe out of his face can earn about seventy likes on Facebook, fifty on Instagram and a ruined reputation.

* * *

A/N: I've been wanting to write 1004851 for a while now and this prompt totally satisfied my desires. Byakuran and Spanner teaming up to ruin Shoichi's social life is my favourite headcanon hehe

also big big big thank you to Barbarella for being my first reviewer and for your lovely review ;v; I will try to write more 10051 in the future! u/v/u


	6. Seize the Day

_**Seize the day**_

_Time: TYL after present time_

* * *

The morning sun poured it's rays into Shoichi's room, quickly finding the redhead's face and proceeding to warm it till he woke up. It succeeded in a matter of seconds, causing Shoichi to grumble incoherent words under his breath and flip over. Once he realised that the sun shone on him either way, he grouchily sat up in a slouched position, nose nearly touching his legs.

Yet for once, he felt refreshed after a night's sleep. Such times were rare; he would normally wake up moaning and groaning as Spanner would try in vain to pull him out of bed after a particularly tiring night of strategy planning. Working as Vongola's top tactician and technician at the same time had more disadvantages than he could count, but he wouldn't give up his beloved job no matter what.

Even if it meant he would end up sacrificing night's worth of sleep and falling back into his caffeine addiction.

Sitting up properly and stretching both arms in the air, Shoichi slipped his spectacles on with practiced ease and ruffled his bed head, a dopey smile on his face. It was strange to find the man in such a good mood in the mornings, but he just felt so…so alive today! Throwing his blanket off, he jumped off his bed with an unusual bounce in his steps as he weaved his way through the piles of paperwork stacked all over his bedroom floor.

Yes, he would do so many things today. Take a walk, go to the corner store, finish his report, clean the entire apartment…oh, the possibilities were endless. Pumped with adrenaline at the thought of all the things he would accomplish today, Shoichi quickly headed to his wardrobe to change. Just as he pulled out a shirt, he heard an ecstatic shout from the corridor.

"Shoichi! Shoichi! The latest parts for the Gola Mosca I ordered have arrived! Holy shit come out right now you have to look at them! They're perfect and new and shiny and oh my god-" Spanner's euphoric words blew every thought of being productive that day out of Shoichi's mind immediately and the man nearly tripped several times while speeding out of his room, still in his pyjamas.

"Where? Where? Are they really here holy shiiiiit they're here let me look at them!" Shoichi demanded, scooting to a stop in Spanner's room, where Spanner was already excitedly tearing open the box. Carefully picking different parts and exchanging excited babblings with Spanner over the new parts, all initial plans for the day had been long forgotten and replaced by mechanics, robot parts and blueprints.

Just the way Shoichi liked it.

* * *

A/N: Headcanon that Spanner and Shoichi share an apartment after joining the Vongola as tacticians/technicians so that they can discuss work and build and design new weaponry easier. Also another headcanon that both of them have a massive weakness for new parts and weaponry and get all wobbly and swoony like a girl in love around them. The feeling is similar to an artist to new art supplies or a bookworm to a new book and smelling the crisp new pages. You get the point.


	7. Opposite

_**Opposite**_

_Time: TYL after present time_

* * *

"…it reduces the impact by 14%, but at the same time-"

"Im afraid I don't think it'll work." The Fiore Familigia boss interrupted Shoichi, cocking an eyebrow. Shoichi turns around to face the newest members of the Vongola alliance, brow furrowed in bewilderment at the statement.

"Im sorry, but I haven't finished-" Once again, he was interrupted by a cough from the Fiore don, indicating his stubbornness to voice his opinion no matter what. Sighing exasperatedly in his mind, he forces a smile and nods for the man to continue, praying that his flipping stomach will not worsen with whatever he's about to say.

"You see, I don't think it's right to be trusting someone who used to work for the enemy. You never know when they may stab you in the back after all. Your plans and blueprints also look unreliable and the standards of the Vongola weaponry has deteriorated ever since your addition." The man says mockingly, flippantly tossing the notes Shoichi has handed out on the table.

Shoichi stands frozen, his smile stuck on his face, eyes wide. He's unable to react, his mind having already processed the insulting words and repeating them over and over in his mind. Tsuna is looking furious and ready to jump in and defend him at any time, Byakuran's smile has been wiped off his face, Uni is staring shell-shocked at the Fiore's don for his disrespect, Xanxus is looking like he couldn't care less and Dino is fidgeting in his chair, whip in hand and ready to stop any potential fighting. Spanner glances at his best friend, eyes reflecting fear and anticipation as to what is to come.

"Excuse me?" Shoichi finally speaks and everyone exchanges surprised looks at his change of voice. It's no longer the stuttering nervous voice, but the commanding icy tone that commands attention and respect and sends chills down everyone's spine. He balls his fists, hands trembling in anger, a crooked smile still on his face in an attempt to remain civilised and respectful to one of their allies.

"You heard me. You're not good enough for the Vongola, and neither are your pathetic inventions or weapons." The Fiore boss continues daringly, seemingly oblivious to Shoichi's fury.

"Oh snap." Spanner whispers, hiding the smile stretching across his face behind a hand.

"First and foremost, I was working as a spy and have stayed loyal to the Vongola familigia throughout the entire operation. I have spent my entire life, consciously or not, dedicated to helping the familigia and I've risked more things than you can ever imagine for it's sake. And my weaponry," Shoichi pauses to pull out even more notes, graphs printed all over them and slams it in front of the man. "Has been_ proved _to have improved combat and increased the rate of victory in fights and prevention in sudden enemy assaults by 26% and 31% respectively. The blueprints of each weaponry I will spend at least three sleepless nights over perfecting and designing, and then another two to repair it after every test it's been through that day and to make final tweaks to it. My work and inventions are my life, and I will not have you insulting them or my workmanship. If anything, the Vongola has benefitted from my addition." Throughout the speech, Shoichi has been staring straight into the Fiore boss's eyes, tone getting angrier with a struggling control to keep his voice even, and he slams his hands on the table at the end of it, causing the pale and shaken Fiore don to jump.

"Now, if I may continue," Shoichi sends the boss one last vicious glare before spinning around and continuing the presentation, thinly veiled anger seeping through his presentation from time to time afterwards.

After the meeting, the Fiore boss is the first to exit the room, more afraid of what else the red head technician was capable of than the murderous looks a few other bosses in the alliance had been sending him all through the rest of the meeting. Shoichi's fumbling with his papers as he packs up, nearly tripping over wires once or twice, shrugging modestly at the comments, scratching the back of his head and laughing awkwardly.

"It's funny how this person is the same as the one half an hour ago, huh." Uni murmurs to Tsuna, who hums in agreement as they watch the red faced man stammer thanks and drop the papers in his hands again.

* * *

A/N: Please note that this one is set ten years later after the present time, and not after the future arc! This goes to all i've written "TYL after the present time". Also im not very good at writing arguments ahah;; I was thinking Shoichi would possibly act as a spy in the future some times because he did such a good job during the Future Arc uvu It's not often though; the stomachaches due to nervous breakdowns whenever he nearly gets found out are not very fun to handle.

I also edited the past chapters to add in the time as to when it happened so as to make things more clear!


	8. Passions Run

_**Passions Run**_

_Time: When Shoichi is a first year in high school_

* * *

"Hey, stay away from him. He's that anti-social weirdo who talks to himself all the time." A girl whispered to her friend as they rushed past Shoichi, giving him a curious side glance as they did so.

Shoichi, who had unfortunately overheard her comment, heaved a resigned sigh and held his books closer to his chest. He was an introvert by nature, preferring the company of books and robots to people. When he studied or read, he would occasionally mutter important notes to help him remember them. Sadly, this, combined with his easily jumpy and anxious nature caused him many potential friendships.

Deciding to cut through the unoccupied hall in order to escape from the crowds of people and get to his destination faster, he kept his eyes fastened on the floor in order to not see anyone's judging gaze, hence is why he didn't notice someone walking towards him until he bumped into them. His thick spectacles, weak body and smart brain also made him a perfect target for bullies, namely the boys he'd bumped into.

"Oi, who you thi-Oh, it's just you Irie." The leader sneered, a wicked grin on his face. "What you think you're doin', bumpin' into important people like me. I think you need to be taught a lesson, am I right boys?" He called to his fellow lackies, who enthusiastically agreed.

Shoichi was shoved down and had his precious books snatched away in a flash, making the normally quiet boy raise his voice. "Hey! Give those back!" He yelled, scrambling to his knees. Struggling to stand up, he merely got kicked down and stepped on whenever he tried to get up. Soon, he was covered with abrasions and lying on his back, the boys taking turns to step on him to keep him down. Even his strongest attempts at pushing off the foot on his stomach were futile and only ended up getting dug in his stomach with a strong heel, causing him to cough painfully.

"Make us." They gloated, waving the books above him. Desperate and weary of fighting, Shoichi screwed his eyes shut and mentally prepared to throw away any dignity he had left to apologise.

"Gladly." Another voice shot in, followed by a series of grunts and shouts from his tormentors coupled with sounds of a fist meeting flesh repeatedly. Cautiously opening his eyes, Shoichi found the main bully lying on the floor unconscious, with a blonde haired man standing over him. The blonde was wearing a t shirt and jeans and had something that suspiciously looked like a cigarette in his mouth. His hair had an odd curl towards one end, and his eyes glinted with boredom and anger. The bully's face was swelling and the beginnings of a black eye could be seen. The blonde had an extremely satisfied expression on his face when he saw his handiwork, a small smirk on his face. With their leader gone, the rest quickly scattered, not wanting to be the next in line for the blonde's wrath.

Slowly, Shoichi pushed himself up, rubbing his sore stomach and staring at his saviour in wonder. "T-Thank you." He managed, half-afraid of the man. Then, the man turned towards him and gave him a big grin. Bending down and sticking a hand out to help him up, Shoichi managed to get a closer look when he was pulled up and realised that it wasn't a cigarette stick but instead a lollipop in his mouth.

"Here, your books." The man dropped the books into Shoichi's hands, of which he barely managed to catch. "You're Irie Shoichi, right?"

Looking up, Shoichi blinked owlishly for a moment. "Ye-Yes!" He confirmed, heart racing. _Ah, it's been a pathetically long time since I've had a normal conversation with someone other than my family or the teachers_, he thought shamefully.

"I'm Spanner. Nice to finally meet you. I've been wanting to meet you for so long now. I've heard so much about you and your robots." Spanner said excitedly, a sparkle in his eyes as he spoke.

"A-Ah, they're nothing much, really." Shoichi mumbled, feeling embarrassed. No one had complimented him for his robots apart from his teachers before.

"No, they're amazing! You're amazing Shoichi!" Spanner exclaimed, a wide smile still on his face. "I'm new, so you can show me around and tell me more about yourself and your robots along the way. Sound good?"

Unable to refuse an invitation to speak to a fellow robot fanatic about robotics, Shoichi nodded furiously, Spanner's infectious smile mirroring on his face too. Both left the hall chattering happily, unaware of the beginnings of a wonderful and long lasting friendship blooming.

* * *

A/N: Two chapters in a day to make up for missing one yesterday!

The ending is really awkward? But i can't think of an ending right now so i'll probably edit it later when i've thought of a better one. Headcanon that Spanner is pretty good at fighting from scraps he's learnt here and there. I have no idea how elementary/middle/high school is like in Japan but according to Yahoo Answers they start high school at 16 soooo


	9. Connection

_**Connection**_

_Time: Some time before the Future Arc_

* * *

"A-h~ It's so bo-ring! We'll both lose the bet that this rate." Gingerbread complained, pouting as he flipped around in the air.

"Eh, it's something to do while we pass time waiting for orders at least." Iris shrugs, holding up a hand to inspect her manicured nails, interest in their little game and bet long dispelled.

"Hel-lo Sho-chan! Sho-chan?" The loud chirpy voice of their first in command resounded in the room, his forever smiling face appearing on the large screen. All present personnel's attention immediately switched to Byakuran, and they watched the large face blink confusedly and look around for his absent right hand man.

"Eh? Where's Sho-chan gone?" He asks in a curious voice, pulling out his first syllabus as per usual.

Shoichi's personal Cervello assistants exchange a look, but just as one of them is about to step forward and explain the missing Captain's reasons, Iris chipped in.

"Irie's been holed up in his lab for the past four days now. None of us can get him out, not even his loyal watchdogs." Iris piped up indifferently, tilting her head towards the Cervello as she spoke. "Gingerbread and I even made a wager as to who can lure him out first. Money and pride's on the line, want to join sir?" She grins, her lack of care for respect knowing no bounds.

"Really now? Count me in! I'll get him out in ten minutes! I'm putting my title on the line! Cheerio!" Byakuran enthusiastically exclaims, clapping his hands together in delight. His giant grin stretching from ear to ear is the last thing they see before the screen turns black and the reaction is instantaneous. The room is abuzz with loud yelling, excited subordinates placing bets as to what's going to happen; Byakuran resigning, or Shoichi coming out of his sweet domain.

True to his word, in a matter of five minutes, a shrill ear-piercing shriek rings through the entire base, making everyone clasp their hands over their ears, wincing in pain. Later investigation shows that those from Black Spell in the opposite blocks also heard it, and thought it belonged to some poor soul who had stumbled upon Byakuran on one of his bad days.

Shoichi bursts into the main block, hair dishevelled, uniform crumpled and half zipped with a furious glint in his wide green eyes. Before anyone can ask what happened or cry over their losses, Shoichi opens his mouth and silences everyone from shock by his change of attitude.

"I want an emergency meeting, right now! Both White and Black Spell have compulsory summons, and I will not accept any excuses for not attending. I demand all Captains to be present as well or I will have them executed, be damned their positions!" Shoichi barks out, straightening his uniform, his mood growing fouler with every passing second. No one is stupid enough to refute when Irie Shoichi is in his 'Captain mode' and the meeting is quickly organised.

* * *

At the hanger, both teams are looking disgruntled and unhappy at the sudden announcement, resentment and disagreements bubbling in their stomachs as they murmur complaints among themselves. But all protests and words of anger die in their throats when they see Shoichi's murderous aura emitting around him in powerful waves as he rises up on the platform. Their muttering turns worried and scared; they've never seen the normally jittery Captain this serious before. Shoichi clears his throat demanding attention, and silence blankets the hanger in a heartbeat.

"Today, I have called all of you here to ask one simple question. This question, depending on who and how answers it, will have varied results in terms of their death and punishment." Shoichi hisses, his eyes narrowing into silts as his eyes slowly roam the room, scrutinizing every member for any suspicious movement. Everyone begins to fidget apprehensively under the Captain's enraged gaze, wondering what could have been so disastrous as to cause the mild tempered man to lose his cool and sentence them to death.

"Who."

Everybody sucks in a sharp breath, praying to the higher beings above that the question will not pertain to them, that they will not be able to answer it.

"Cut."

Some have their hands clasped tightly together, knuckles shining white as fervent prayers pour out of their mouths, some have their rings and box weapons ready, in case Shoichi decides to simply kill the wrong-doer on the spot and the rest have their eyes glued to Shoichi, eagerly awaiting the question as their hearts thump so loud they would swear the person next to them could hear it.

"The."

Breaths are held, last words are said, thoughts to their friends and family are sent as everyone leans forward. The tension in the air during the next few seconds becomes so thick you could cut it with a knife, with everyone straining their ears to hear Shoichi's words that could determine their life or death.

"Internet connection."

There's a collective sigh of relief, looks of confusion and frustration are exchanged, but no one dares speak up for fear of triggering the Captain's barely contained rage.

"It was me Sho-chan~!" The carefree voice everyone places as their top command sings out, a hologram screen being broadcasted in the middle of the hanger and in front of Shoichi. Byakuran is positively bursting with mirth, eyes shimmering with glee as he watches Shoichi's shoulders droop in defeat and confusion and open and close his mouth like a floundering fish out of water as he tries to find something sensible to say that does not consist of profanities.

"Byakuran-san." Shoichi finally decides. His voice is even, his fists are clenched tightly by his side and it seems like his pride is the only thing holding him up.

Byakuran leans forward, a slight frown replacing his cheery features, upset by Shoichi's lack of joy. "It was just a simple action to get you out of your lab Sho-chan. Surely you can't be mad at me…?" Byakuran drawls, his words laying out a careful trap woven between the words.

"I-" Shoichi struggles not to scream, knowing it would only bring unfavourable results judging by Byakuran's attitude. "I had a research of four days on it. There was a download running for a week now, another installation that's been running for two days, the latest machinery blueprints and the plans on improving our security that I typed up over the last four days. " He whispers numbly, the full impact of having lost all that data sinking in. Shoichi's voice cracks near the end and he pulls a clammy palm over his ashen face then covering his mouth in ghastly shock. His face is twisted in what looks like utter despair and anguish and he looks ready to throw up.

The room is silent for a whole new reason now and they watch in mute horror and mild amusement as their Captain mentally breaks down in front of them.

"I'm going back to my laboratory." Shoichi weakly states after a moment, one of the Cervello briskly walking forward to support him as the other presses a switch to lower their podium. When they're gone, Byakuran switches off the screen and reclines on his chair. Humming, his brows are knitted and the frown is still on his face as he reviews what just happened quietly, alone in his office.

"Maybe next time, I should give him a heads up before cutting the connection."

* * *

A/N: Im so sorry i haven't written anything lately! I've been rather busy with my life. So i made it up with an extra long one today! I hope the characters don't come off as OOC? I tried my best to make everyone stay in character, but i can only do so much ;w; Please let me know if someone came off as OOC and i will try to fix it!

I nearly used this prompt to write Shoichi's reaction to Puella Magi Madoka Magica because of their OST Connect but im glad i changed my mind and got this idea and wrote it instead. This is partially based on a real life experience; only i got my data back and Shoichi most likely will not ;P

Also please leave a review if you liked this one; it gave me a good laugh as i typed C:


	10. Lull and Storm

_**Lull and Storm**_

_Time: After the Choice Battle_

* * *

"E-Eh? What do you mean?" Shoichi stammered, green eyes wide and staring at Byakuran in horror and disbelief.

"You heard me Sho-chan. I don't remember making such a promise." Byakuran said smoothly, a malicious glint in his amethyst eyes.

"You're lying! Lying! You used to be honest with Choice Byakuran-san! You used to be honest!" Shoichi yells, frenzied and hurt. He struggles to stand up, to confront Byakuran face to face, to shake him and question if everything he's said and done are all lies, lies, lies. If everything he's done and said were all for the sake of the Tri-Nii-Set, all for his own sake, all for destroying and conquering another hapless world.

He's barely registering Ryohei and Tsuna's protests and insists for him to lie down through his ringing ears. Shoichi screams at the calm triumphant man, who drinks in all of his new found animosity and smirks with drunken glee. They push the crying man back down on the concrete floor, the need for restrain gone with Shoichi's sudden lack of energy due to blood loss.

Shoichi's panting and heaving with effort to even breathe as his vision blurs with bitter tears, his face crumpled in defeat. He hears Ryohei say something along the lines of his wounds reopening, the loss of blood being too much, Tsuna shaking his shoulders and shouting at him to stay with them, to not die. Everyone's voices are starting to meld together, their voices slowly fading into a faint buzz in his ears. His eyelids droop, but the tears continue streaming down and he's somehow aware that it's dripping and mixing with the growing puddle of blood beneath him. Black splotches start clouding his vision, yet his pain filled gaze is still steadfastly trained on Byakuran, whose face does not show a single shred of sympathy or regret.

Byakuran's eyes widen with surprise and amusement

(_that sick sick man_)

as Shoichi coughs blood and limbs grow limp. His chuckle

(_why is he laughing_)

is one of the last things Shoichi hears as he begins to lose consciousness. But before he allows his mind to completely succumb to darkness,

(_no not yet I haven't righted any of my wrongs_)

he musters up every last bit of his energy to rasp last words.

(_change your mind, you're not like this_

_please please please im sorry im sorry im sor-)_

"You promised."

(_didn't you say you loved me?)_

* * *

"Bye bye Sho-chan."

* * *

A/N: Eeeeehh Lull and Storm was a little hard to write because I unknowingly used the original plan for it on Opposite so i had to think up a new idea. I'm pretty satisfied with how this turned out! As you can see, i re-wrote the Choice ending to one where Shoichi dies. Honestly, when I first watched the anime i thought he'd die but i guess not(thank god for that)!

Lull is supposed to be Byakuran, and the Storm is supposed to be Shoichi. Now that I think about it, an idea just struck me for the prompt of which i base on Gokudera and Shoichi and their relationship. Mmm, i may just re-write this prompt and put it at the end as an extra!

The italics in brackets at the end are Shoichi's thoughts. It's rather awkward how they're place, i know, but i couldn't think of a better way to format it. I tried clumping it all together, but it just looked messy and didn't really give me the empty feeling i wanted to portray. Also the last part with Byakuran saying goodbye...Yay or nay? I was hesitant putting it in since it seems a little out of place(maybe?).

Tell me in the reviews what you thought of it!


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